(Last Updated on December 4, 2020 by GERALD NCUBE)
BULAWAYO – The Bulawayo City Council has been forced to appoint caretaker councillors for the vacant wards following the massive recall of elected officials by MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe and the subsequent indefinite ban on elections by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, in his capacity as the Health Minister.
Eight councillors were recalled by the MDC-T acting president after they refused to leave the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance camp.
Bulawayo also lost Ward 8 Cllr, Ronnia Mudara who passed away in July.
By-elections for all the vacant seats were set to be held in this month (December) but Chiwenga imposed a suspension through an ammendment on Statutory Instrument 225A of 2020, citing health regulations set in place to combat Covid-19.
In an interview with Daily News, the City’s deputy Mayor Mlandu Ncube confirmed that the local authority had been forced to appoint caretaker councillors through the appointment of sitting councillors to take up double wards in a bid to fill the gaps left by the recalled members.